There are numerous types of apparatuses on the market which employ dual reel types of magnetic recording tape cassettes or cartridges. One type of such apparatuses is an automatic telephone answering device.
Telephone answering devices typically employ two tape cassettes or cartridges. One of the cassettes or cartridges (i.e., a broadcast or "BC" cassette) carries a message which is played over a telephone to an incoming caller. The second cassette or cartridge (i.e., an incoming call recording or "ICR" cassette) is adapted to record a message from the caller which is later played back.
Telephone answering devices typically have three operating modes, i.e., (1) a broadcast mode during which the message on the broadcast tape is played to the caller, (2) an ICR mode during which a message from the caller is recorded (or played back), and (3) a rewind mode during which the ICR tape is rewound.
Where tape cassettes or cartridges are employed (in telephone answering devices or in other record and/or playback devices) it is necessary to provide the devices with drive capstans and pinch rollers for moving the tapes in the cassettes or cartridges past record/playback heads.
Prior to the advent of the present invention such apparatuses typically required one or two motors and/or three solenoids for selectively moving the various pinch rollers into and out of engagement with the drive capstans at the appropriate times, and for winding the incoming call recording tape reels in one direction or the other. In addition to the motors and solenoids, various cams, levers and other mechanical elements were employed to accomplish the desired and necessary functions of the apparatuses.
Thus, the prior art telephone answering devices and other recording and/or playback devices which employed one or more tape cassettes or cartridges have been characterized by the use of costly and cumbersome electrical components and mechanical elements.